Radiant floor heating is an ideal home heating system. It’s efficient, quiet, and doesn’t blow dust and allergens as forced-air systems do. Instead of heating the entire room’s perimeter with the hope that the heated air will heat the rest of the room, radiant floor heating systems use subfloor heating then radiate this heat to the entire room from below.

Most homeowners might not be aware of how expensive the entire installation process might be and always have a hard time when determining the cost. It’s advisable to consult with a reputable professional who can offer you a profound explanation of the perfect course of action for your specific radiant floor heating system installation and estimate the cost.

Cost Factors

Similar to any other home improvement project, there is no true straightforward cost for installing a radiant floor heating system. Different factors influence the cost, and you should always keep these factors in mind when estimating the in-floor heating system cost for your project.

Flooring Square Footage

Your home’s square footage plays an integral role in determining the cost of installing a floor heating system. In most cases, small floor heating installation projects cost more than larger projects. For instance, a 5000 square foot surface area can cost approximately $5 per square foot while a 400 square foot area might cost you $9 for each square foot installed. Note that a larger area is often more open and easier to work with as compared to small areas such as bathrooms and kitchens.

Regardless of whether you want to install the floor heating system in a small or large area, the most cost-effective way is to install the system during construction. You can also install it when remodeling the property. This reduces the labor cost of drilling holes on an existing floor or any other necessary modification.

Types Of Radiant Heating

Your preferred type of radiant heating system will also affect the floor heating system cost. There are two distinct types of radiant heating systems used in residential settings: hydronic (uses hot water) and electric radiant heating systems. The electric radiant systems are more expensive than the hydronic ones and cost approximately $8 per square foot while hydronic systems cost about $6 per square foot.

The Current Flooring

Installing a floor heating system in an existing flooring is more costly than installing the system during construction. This is because holes must be drilled on the existing floor and probably remove the floor. All these activities increase the overall cost of the entire project depending on the type of current flooring material.

Temperature

If you intend to install a radiant floor heating system to serve the entire house, you may realize that some rooms require a varying amount of heat. This may require the establishment of temperature zones where some rooms such as the living room should be kept warmer than the bedrooms. Such a complex heating system isn’t easy to install, and that translates to higher costs.

Normal Cost Factors

Just like any other contracted job, local labor rates, distance to the job site, workload, and other related factors will also affect the cost of installing a radiant floor heating system.